They Brought The End: Later Chapters
by Mistress Ashley
Summary: The muse comes and I write. These are later chapters for They Brought The End. If you don't want to be spoiled ... don't read. Keep in mind, these 'chapters' may be rewritten or never even make it into the story.
1. Dawn Before Timeline

**AN:** This is just a small 'Before' timeline to give myself working points and Dawn an age.

* * *

**Dawn Timeline **

**- **She was 18 when Sunnydale sank (I don't know her exact birthday so she might have been 17 on the show but let's just pretend she was 18)

**- **1 year spent with the Scoobys getting the Council back on it's feet

**- **3 years in Rome with Buffy before they realize the Slayer age problem - 3 years spent finding/training them before the Goverment finds out and blows up the Council with Buffy, Giles, Xander and Willow inside ... Willow is the only one to make it out and she's not saying how ... (I'm not sure where Dawn and Spike were yet)

**- **4 years with all out war before Willow finds a way to send Dawn back

That makes Dawn about 29/30. She's old in the ways of 'war' but kinda, not truly childlike ... more stuck in 'Sunnydale: The Before' sometimes ... kinda innocent. I'm hoping that comes out in how I write her and I'm hoping to give you a better understanding of it, and how she survived the War (more or _less_ sane), in The Wish chapter.


	2. Halloween

**AN 1:** The poll got a 50/50 vote of do and don't so I found a different solution. I can't believe I didn't think of it before but I'm honest enough to admit it ... I'm dumb that way. In the hopes of keeping everyone happy I'll be posting the chapters here. That way if you don't want to be spoiled with what may or may not happen next you don't have to read.

Of course, what I post here may be out of order, may never actually make it into the story, or could very well be rewritten so much by the time it does go into the story that it will only hold a passing similarity. I already know some things I'd _like _to write in but what _can_ be put in will depend on previous, yet unwritten chapters. These are also all unbeta'd. Mostly written in Notepad so not even spell checked. You have been warned. If you find a huge flaw you can, politely, let me know.

**AN 2:** This one is, of course, Halloween. There are some things Dawn and I would like to change about the whole Graduation thing but we have to plan for everything so Halloween is pretty much exactly the same but with Guardian!Dawn watching over them. The reasons Halloween hasn't been changed will, hopefully, be better explained in the After Halloween Interlude. *evil laugh*

* * *

She remembered Halloween from before. It hadn't really happened, it was all a fabrication by the monks but she still remembered it. She'd been planning on conning Xander into taking her trick or treating but when he'd had to take the younger kids her mother had put her foot down. Said he'd have his hands full enough. Joyce had taken her to the Gallery party and set up a sleeping pad in her office so she could sleep through the boring adult party. She'd thrown a gigantic fit, a full out tantrum but it hadn't helped. In the end she'd slept through the chaos that was Halloween.

Now she'd be able to experience it first hand.

She'd debated stopping it but with further thought to the future/past she'd decided it had to happen. For Graduation to turn out right, Xander had to become a soldier. With that being necessary nothing else could be changed about Halloween. If even one costume was changed it could spell disaster. Xander needed to be a soldier, Willow needed to keep her mind to push Soldier!Xander in the right direction. She was also the only one who could get to Giles and tell him what was happening. Buffy, of course, had to be Little Miss Useless. If she went as anything else who knew what could happen to not only her, depending on the change, but Spike? Buffy as a noblewoman couldn't hurt him and the spell ending stopped him from hurting her. What _was_ hurting was her head.

A sigh escaped her lips as she rubbed her temples. One wrong move tonight could destroy everything or get someone killed.

She'd be out there, watching from the shadows but she couldn't be everywhere. It was a gamble, a necessary gamble but a gamble all the same.

-----

Dawn watched from the shadows as Xander steered his kids to a house across the street and Willow led her children to the door of the house next to her.

It was only a few minutes later that she felt it. Magic rustling along the air, seeking out those with 'marked' costumes. Screams rang out around her, unaffected children and adults running or locking themselves in their homes. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Willow fighting for breath before her body collapsed, a ghostly Willow pulling itself out.

Across from her, Dawn sees Xander holding himself differently, pulling his much more lifelike rifle into firing position.

Dawn became distracted from watching Willow convince the soldier to follow her by a mini-monster trying to bowl her over. It would have worked if she hadn't been fighting for most of her life. She side stepped, grabbing the shirt back that was presented to her, and slammed the child turned monster's head into the brick wall of the house. For all that it looked the part of a demon and it's added strength it was still just a child. She eased it to the ground and arranged it into a more comfortable position in the hopes of it's waking being less stressful.

Moving along in the direction she hoped Xander and Willow had taken, Dawn helped where she could. As she knocked another monster unconscious she couldn't help but wonder what had happened to some of these children in the Before without her there to help them. How many of these children had killed other children? How many adults were killed when they couldn't get their houses boarded up in time? She wondered what had happened after Halloween ... would those who killed remember it? How many of the deaths in the Before had been Halloween related? The mini-monsters were vicious though they were tempered some by the hero costumes but the heroes couldn't be everywhere at once.

She hadn't thought she could hate Ethan more but she did, she really did. Watching the chaos around her and knowing that Ethan was the cause ... that he was safe in his shop while creatures he created were wreaking havoc made her sick.

Dawn pushed all feeling from her mind and continued on, helping those she could, turning her eyes from those she couldn't. She'd morn them later when the situation wasn't teetering on a knife's edge. Chaos was the name of the game tonight and a wrong move on her part had an even greater chance of changing everything with Janus' magic shivering on the air.

She skirted around houses, fences, and cars; eyes forever scanning, looking for some sign of Willow and Xander. Veering around a fight between hero and demon.

She spotted them finally, heading in the direction of her old house. Picking her way there with a single minded purpose, she leaned against the outside of the house. Her body falling into shadow. She watched the chaos around her, keeping an ear to the conversation inside.

She saw the demon, she thought it was a demon though for all she knew it could have been an alien, run at the sound of gunfire. A smirk tilting her lips as she heard Xander's comment, "Big noise scare monster, remember?"

Turning her eyes back to the street ... hmm ... and there comes Cordelia. How the hell had she gotten out of the house in that? Never mind, with her parents ... who knows. What about out of the school with Tyrant Troll in charge?

From what she could tell, the quiet demon night of Halloween wasn't so quiet. If her guess was correct, and with her being who she is it more than likely was, more than a few creatures running around were 'true' demons. She'd have to remember to tease Giles about that. Quiet night her nicely shaped butt.

Dawn got ready to move when she saw the glow that was Willow head off at a quick pace toward the high school. The action was about to begin. If what she'd been able to glean from the mishmash of tales about Halloween, Lady Buffy should be doing a runner shortly.

Stretching her muscles in expectation of the run to come she saw a flash of white blond hair, she'd know it anywhere, from the corner of her eye. Dawn whipped her head around so fast as to give herself whiplash but even that fast wasn't fast enough. Spike had disappeared to her eyes.

Idiots, talking that loudly, she thought as she heard Angel say Buffy was helpless. She knew it was necessary to have Spike know but what idiot says something like that about a Slayer with demons running all over the place? After this was over she was having a long talk with Angel and the Gang. She took off after them with a sigh and a shake of her head, leather coat flapping around her.

-----

Dawn came around the corner a second too late to slip in behind Angel and Xander. The heavy door slamming closed behind them. She'd have to wait for Spike and the little monsters to push through and go in after them. She couldn't see how anything could go wrong this late in the game but it was better to be safe than dead later.

She watched as the monster pounded the door down and poured through; Spike behind them. She let him get far enough ahead of her before ghosting in and toward the shadows. She just hoped all of Angel and Spike's attention were on Lady Buffy or they just might smell her.

It'd been so long since she'd seen Spike swagger like that, all predatory grace and arrogance. He'd stopped when Buffy was ... gone the first time but it came back when she did. It'd changed when he got the soul and left for good when she died for the last time. It was odd, even now, after years without her how she could say dead but never put that label on the first time. Spike said ... had said ... it was guilt and maybe it was. There had been no way to stop the bomb but maybe she could have stopped Buffy from jumping.

Dawn shook herself out of her thoughts as the air shivered violently. She saw Spike lean in for the kill. This was it then.

When she felt the magic dissipate, Dawn sighed in relief, not only because she'd gotten through this without getting anyone killed but also because the chaos magic had laid thick in the air, like smoke cloying in her throat. She could truly breathe easier.

She winced as she saw Buffy hit Spike, having to stop herself from moving forward to stop them. She watched only long enough to make sure Spike didn't get staked before she took her own leave.

Dawn vanished into the night, being swallowed by the darkness.


	3. After Halloween Interlude

**AN:** This chapter may seem to bash Buffy and the gang to some but to _me_ it's not really bashing. This is still pretty early on and they haven't 'grown up' yet. I'm hoping this chapter will give them some things to think on and maybe be the beginning of that whole 'growing up thing'. There will, of course, be backslides but I wouldn't have it any other way. XD

There are still somethings I'd like to work in here. Like there being only 2 ways for Angel to keep his soul, not having that moment of happiness and the African wish granting cave demon, which I don't think would work for Angel. Not just because I, personally, don't think Angel's strong enough (like Spike was) but also because the demon reads your deepest wants ... and Angel has Angelus in him with _his own_ wants. What's to say the demon won't pick up on that and grant Angelus freedom, instead of Angel's soul anchored? But ... I don't know what's going to come out in the chapters before this so I'll have to wait and probably rewrite this.

**AN2:** When this story came to me it was a Dawn/Giles bunny plus my evil little muse has taken it upon herself to make me write in cute little Dawn/Giles moments. I don't know if it will actually work out. Me, personally, I don't think it could work with this story. There's still Jenny to worry about and even if I find a way to kill her off we'll be right back were we started ... a grieving Giles not looking for love. I'm thinking, maybe, a tiny Dawn crush at first and then a deep 'best friends' kinda friendship. I think that would work out much better. But I go where the muse demands.

Xeelia has also brought wonderful pairing ideas to mind. If you have anything you'd like to see, let me know and I'll see if any of them catch the muses attention.

* * *

Dawn sat, legs kicking back and forth, on the library counter. She'd had Giles call the meeting and the Scooby Gang was all there spread out around the table. The last to arrive had been Angel who took a seat next to Buffy. She gave a mental laugh at that, the last to arrive, Angel had been the first. She'd felt him in the stacks from the moment she got there. It was a bit sickening to watch. When it came to Buffy, Angel turned into some kind of hormonal teenager trying to impress the best dressed girl at school with his 'bad-boy-angst' schtick. And, Dawn's lip curled up, looking at the googly eyes Buffy was making, it was working. She'd have to do something about that but first, the topic she'd promised herself would be first on the agenda.

"Angel, you're an idiot." There, she'd said it. The reactions were just as she'd expected. Buffy glaring, Angel a bit wide-eyed and insulted, Willow was giving her a wet-eyed look like she'd just tortured and killed a kitten, and Xander was looking smug. Of course, there was Giles who was doing what Giles always did in these situations, cleaning his glasses and pretending they weren't there. It sent a pang through her heart. She'd missed this but she'd better explain before Buffy got her senses back.

"You're over 200, right? So, you think you'd know better than to say the Slayer's vulnerable."

"What? But, I never ..."

"Last night. Did you or did you not say ... _'Buffy_ would be okay. Whoever she is now, she's helpless?' How do you _think _Spike knew?" He wasn't one to take such risks, she thought. Who knew if Buffy had turned into her costume or not? And if she had, he'd never know if she'd dressed up as some Superwomen thing. It wasn't something she'd tell them though. If they knew and really thought it out it'd be something to use against Spike. The perfect trap. Make the risks low enough and he'd jump in fangs first.

As she shook herself out of her thoughts she saw that Angel was looking suitable pathetic and apologizing like mad to Buffy and of course, Buffy was trying to comfort him ... like it didn't almost get her and her friends killed. Though, to be honest, she'd do the same with Spike ... not that Spike could ever look _that _pathetic and puppy eyed.

Mount Buffy full speed ahead, she sighed.

"You knew about this! Why didn't you tell us? We could have stopped it." Buffy stood, hands on the table.

"It had to happen." Dawn really didn't want to get into this. It was hard enough keeping events straight, those that had to happen and those that could be changed, without Bull Buffy rampaging in and trying to be top dog and save everyone.

"What do you mean it had to happen? Last night was pointless unless you like chaos."

"There's an event in the future that I can't stop. If I tried I'd be lucky to end up dead." She hesitated before stating slowly, "It could be changed b..."

"Well then change it! You're supposed to be the all knowing Wizard of Oz but you don't seem to be doing anything!" That kind of stung. She was doing all she could but she didn't expect to be sent back so far. If she changed something here, too soon, she'd never be able to even predict how the future would play out. It could be better but this was the Hellmouth. Chances were anything she changed would backfire and kill someone. She couldn't risk these people, not just because they were her family but because they were needed. She'd have to tread carefully but still get this point across to Buffy.

With a deep breath to steady herself she began her stilted explanation. "Changing the future is like throwing a rock into a pond, it causes ripples and not just those you can see. As the rock sinks, it sends out even more that you can't see. For example, if I had gotten here earlier and changed something that may have seemed simple, inconsequential even, it could have stopped Xander and Angel from going to the Master's cave and without them you'd be dead ... no coming back. You have to understand that not only are you important to me, you're my family after all. You're important to the world. It may seem simple to you but every choice I could make has to be weighed and judged against what I know is to come. If I change something too early or God forbid, make a wrong choice, one of you could end up dead! You're important. You're important to this world! Each of you has a role to play, lives to save." Frustration and pride were warring in her eyes. "You save the world more times than I can count. The world may be going to Hell in my future but it only lasted that long because of you. The things you've done. The things you *will* do!" Dawn ran a hand over her eyes, feeling the headache building and she still had an even harder conversation to go.

With a sigh she looked at them, really looked. They were looking at her and glancing at each other with a bit of awe. Probably from the passion in her voice during her speech ... with only a little amount of the awe being for the meaning of the speech. It was the most emotion they'd heard from her since her mini-meltdown when she'd appeared. She wasn't one for being in the spotlight. She preferred the shadows thanks to Spike. They were so young. They didn't understand yet that not everything was black and white, that you couldn't save everyone. They hadn't had to make the choice between one life, two lives, and the world yet.

"Some of the things that happen, I have to let happen. Some things are essential, linked to a future event. Some things," Dawn shrugged, "for all my future knowledge, I can't stop. They can be changed but like I said, change comes at a price. It could be the death of one of you, it could be the death of an innocent, it could be the death of millions, billions if some crackpot demon succeeds at ending the world or sucking it into Hell or whatever else they seem to be able to think up. Changing something that I know will work out if I let it isn't worth the potential risk." Dawn thought she'd finally got them. At least, with a quick glance at Giles, she'd gotten him if he hadn't already understood. Angel as well. Xander looked to be understanding it too, the look in his eyes close to the look she'd seen in his eyes last night when the soldier had been in control. She almost sighed in relief at that, it'd been worth it. She couldn't stop the Mayor but his knowledge, the soldier's knowledge, could. That knowledge would also be essential in rescuing Oz from the Initiative if that became an event she couldn't stop. She was trying not to think that far ahead yet, though she always had part of her mind working through probabilities.

Buffy and Willow couldn't seem to grasp the concept or maybe they just didn't want to. It was a hard thing for a soldier to accept, these were school children still, playing at being adults, at being warriors. It was something to moan and complain about while shoe shopping and fun for Willow and Xander, watching Buffy slay vamps and make quips while eating chips. The understanding would be slow in coming. Angel was the first stepping stone, Oz would be next ... exceptions to rules, good found in what they were told was evil.

They might not be able to understand but they'd have to deal. She had a job to do and she wouldn't have them making it harder for her.

"What good came from last night?" The question came, unexpectedly, from Xander. She'd expected more shouting from Buffy ... maybe a few teary eyed looks from Willow.

She wondered if she should tell him. He deserved to know and if he knew how important the information he held was he might be able to strengthen it, make it stick longer. "You."

"What? No, it, I didn't, I _don't_ ..." Already making excuses, that was their Xander, down playing himself.

"You dressed a soldier and what he knew is there. Maybe just out of your conscious reach, you could look at a weapon and maybe you'll have the name pop up and you'll just know. I'd bet, if we had one here, once that weapon was in your hands you'd know how to take it apart and put it back together. There are things in there that you'll need and you'll know them when you need them."

"And why couldn't _you _know them? Why did we have to go through last night just so _Xander_ can get some great needed knowledge?" Buffy, of course. Wonderful. She'd never much liked this Buffy. This was the beginning of her 'Me Slayer, You Helpless" phase. Maybe it had something to do with last night, being a helpless noblewoman, a normal '_helpless_' girl, had to have been eye opening.

"I don't know weapons, bombs, things like that. Give me a sword, a crossbow, a stake and I'm ready to go. Those things were always more ...," _Spike's thing_, she thought, "I won't say more." Dawn gave a firm shake of her head.

Dawn watched as Angel put one arm around Buffy and a hand over hers. Right then. Might as well jump right in and then make a break for it before the yelling and shrieking started again.

"Second order of business ... this," she pointed from Buffy to Angel, "can't happen or continue. I was never too clear on when it began." The last part was muttered to herself.

She was hit with a wall of noise. Buffy shrieking, Willow babbling, Angel trying to get Buffy's attention and calm her by talking _over _her, while Xander slouched back in his chair looking insufferably smug while shooting looks at her like she was the Queen of the Universe or at least the XanderZone.

When they paused for breath she heard the familiar clicking of a teacup on saucer while Giles bustled around his office waiting for the water to boil. Dawn closed her eyes, blocking out the noise in front of her and focused on Giles. It was such a familiar sound, though usually it was coming from the kitchen of his flat or the Magic Box and she'd been too young to think of it as anything but annoying. Everything back then had annoyed her. She'd thought she was ready to fight, that there would be glorious battles where good always won and no one died. Except Tara had and it hadn't been in some magnificent battle.

Now listening to Giles making tea in a trying situation it was comforting, calming ... _adorable_, she thought with an amused tilt of her lips. He was the same old Giles - it was just her that was different, older and she'd like to think wiser. And looking at the children in front of her, even Angel who, thankfully, had grown up with a team of his own to lead, she felt closer to Giles in this time than she'd ever had the chance to feel in her own time, probably never would have felt in her own time had he lived. The age difference had been too much then and Giles had never let himself open up to anyone after Jenny. Never let anyone get too close; choosing instead to dedicate his life to Buffy and the gang and saving the world. Looking back on it, she didn't think he'd even tried to have friends after that. He'd never opened his heart again, those that were already in it were there to stay but there had never been room for more. She hoped she be able to change that. If she could get them to understand the danger of the curse maybe it would never happen. Giles' happiness was worth more than her own.

"Quiet! Let me explain before you rip my head off." Dawn turned her attention to Angel when they quieted down. "What do know about your soul? How you go it?"

"It's a curse." Angel gave a swift glance at Buffy before he continued. "I, Angelus, ate the favored daughter of a gypsy clan. They got back at him by giving him, me, my soul."

"You know it's a curse, then you must know curses always come with clauses." Dawn figured it'd stick better if they figured it out for themselves. If she just told them there would be denial and then Buffy would be a mule and not budge.

Angel looked confused as he said, "I'd, I'd never really thought of it. I mean, why give me my soul back just to take it away again?"

Dawn gave a disparaging sigh. No wonder Giles is always cleaning his glasses and making tea. It's a wonder they save the world at all. "To pull a soul from where ever souls go after they die and stick it into a vampire, mentally a pretty powerful demon, right? I mean it's the one that forces the soul out in the first place. To make that soul take full control, with no consequences, would take god like power. The gypsy who probably created the spell and preformed it might have been powerful but she was no god. The only way to put a soul in full control of a demon infested body is to have a ... a contract for lack of a better word, with someone or something powerful enough to hold that soul in place. A contract always has a clause. No entity wants to have a bit of their power tied up for eternity. Some of the nastier beings will slip in a clause that if broken will give them control not only of the body but the soul as well, hell, even the soul of the caster could be up for grabs. The gypsies, while vengeful enough to pull an 'innocent'," Dawn gave Angel a knowing look, "soul from the hereafter, would never want that soul in the hands of something even worse than Angelus. Their clause was pretty simple. If the contract was broken, the soul goes back to were ever it came from," Dawn finished, giving Angel a pointed look.

She saw the moment he realized what that would mean. The look of stunned horror washing over his face would have been funny any other time. A moment later resignation took it's place, "What's the clause?"

"It's pretty simple as well. Genius back then, though in today's world very easy to break. A moment of perfect happiness."

"How was that genius back then?" Oh, there's Buffy again. Dawn thought she'd shut her up but she should have known better.

"Think of last night. What kind of woman were you?" Hopefully, Dawn would be able to get through to her. Buffy seemed to be the last to get it. Though, Willow seemed to be thinking more of the spell itself than the consequences; she'd have to do something about that later as well. Buffy was holding on with both hands and Slayer strength. "What kind of man would she have married?"

The answer came right away. Dawn guessed Xander wasn't the only one to remember last night's 'visitor'. "Whoever her father chose. Probably a Prince or a King."

Dawn gave Buffy a sad smile as she nodded. "It would have been a political marriage. A marriage with the most gain, more than likely the most gain for her father. Lady Elizabeth wouldn't have _loved_ her husband. She may have been happy. She'd have gotten pretty things, been allowed to throw extravagant parties but she'd have never been perfectly content, perfectly _happy _with her life. She'd have never had a chance to find the love of her life."

"Oh," Buffy's eyes widened, taking on a tearful sheen. She'd finally gotten it.

Now it was up to them to remember it. She had other things to do today and without a backward glance Dawn headed through the stacks and out the back door.


	4. Tiny Interlude

**AN:** I have no idea where this will go or even if I'll be able to fit it in anywhere but the muse cracked her whip and forced me to write. Sadist! *whoosh - crack* Ah!!!! You _see_ what I have to put up with? *runs crying from the room*

* * *

Dawn collapsed on the sofa beside Giles with a sad sigh, curling into the corner with her feet tucked under her.

"What is wrong, my dear?" Giles' voice sounding next to her startled her from her self-pity.

Dawn gave a laugh which held an edge of hysteria. "I don't know I'm doing. I ... can the past truly be changed? Am I really making any difference? Every step I take away from the future I know only seems to take me in circles." Dawn let out a huff in frustration, running her hand through her hair.

"You've done good. From what you've told us you've changed many things since your arrival." Giles' voice soothed her frayed nerves but did little to calm her panic of the future.

Dawn shook her head. "I may have changed the small things but no matter what I do I can't seem to change the big events ... the events that inevitably lead to hell on earth." Though she felt bad for taking her frustrations out on him she couldn't seem to keep them bottled inside any longer.

"Maybe you're not meant to change them. It's the little things that_ can_ be changed that should matter for now. If you save a life, that life - that _person_ may carry on to do something that disrupts the future you know. They themselves may be the key, maybe that person is now destined to become President and the future as you knew it will never come to pass because they will see you standing beside those girls, those Slayers, you've told us about and they will know that the work you do saves lives ... has, indeed, saved _their _life."

_Giles, always the voice of reason_, Dawn thought with an affectionate smile, twisting in her seat to lean her head onto his chest. After a moment of fluttering hands his arm curled around her shoulder. And so they sat comfortable and lost in their own, much more at ease, thoughts.

For it was the little things that mattered for now.


	5. The Wish

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Buffy. All things Buffy belong to Joss and company. I'm just playing with them for a bit.

**AN:** This is one of my all time favorite episodes and I've just gone and butchered.

You people are going to hate me in this chapter but I wrote this to show a different side of Dawn. This is a Dawn who has not only lived through a world gone to Hell, warring against itself, she's also a Dawn without a Buffy to hide behind. This is a Dawn that had to learn to fight (with Spike as her teacher, who's only thought is Dawn's safety) or die and sometimes that meant killing humans. To keep from going completely batty she's developed a second personality ... a predator. It's a bit like a person with MPD but still unique in that Dawn is the one to bring it forward. She, willingly, gives up control and the only thought of this other personality is Dawn's safety - it can and will do anything to keep Dawn alive, including keeping 'Dawn' from re-emerging at the wrong time (it has no want to be in full control every second of every day, though). It's why it was created after all.

AN2: I rearranged the timeline a bit. Instead of going to the Master with their failure, Xander & Willow take a bit of initiative and head towards the library to try getting Cordy alone and kill her first. With Dawn there it will set the timeline back on track ... it may seem a bit different to you hard core fans though.

- This will almost certainly be rewritten at some point. I'm just not completely happy with it the way it is but it will work for now. If you find any huge holes let me know so I can fill them in with the rewrite. No beta - All mistakes are mine.

* * *

_*Thoughts*_

_emphasis_

**#mind speech#**

* * *

**THE WISH**

Dawn had seen Anya almost immediately, talking to Cordy. She'd taken off at full run hoping beyond hope to get there in time, to stop it.

_*Why hadn't she remembered this?? Stupid, stupid, stupid.*_

"No! Do...," she shouted, reaching out to grab Cordelia, curving her fingers around her arm. She heard Anya proclaim, "Done."

-----

Dawn felt the world tilt. Blinking, she found herself standing alone in the middle of a dark street. Her hand grasping air. She looked around for Cordelia but found she truly was alone.

"Shit!" She'd just jumped a wish. She didn't even think something like that was possible. With no Cordy around, either the wish had taken longer to drag her along or remembering all that Anya had said about this world, _*she'd been so proud of it. So proud that she'd created or latched onto it that she'd have told anyone willing to listen.*_, Anyanka was trying to kill her. To set her down in the middle of downtown, just after the sun set if her guess was correct, was murder. She headed at a fast clip, though hopefully not fast enough to draw attention to herself, toward the library. If she could find Giles she just might be able to get the timeline reset sooner.

_*Right, I don't know what will happen if I die. I know Anya said Cordy died but she's protected by the wish. If someone undoes it, like Giles originally did, the timeline will reset itself. Everything will go back the way it was. The problem with that is I don't know what will happen to me if I die. When the wish resets will I stay dead? Will I be brought back like Cordy or will the whole thing be reset? Will I be sent back to the future where the world is going to Hell?*_

"So, just don't get dead," she muttered to herself, only to freeze when a voice answered behind her.

"Ya see, there may be a problem with that," the voice sounded mildly amused though Dawn could hear a hint of irritation.

_*Shit. I'd know that voice anywhere.* _Another thing she hadn't remembered about what happened in this timeline._ *They were going to kill Cordy, headed toward the school. The same direction as you, Idiot! I have to play this carefully, they just lost their dinner to Giles and the other 'White Hats'. They probably haven't eaten yet. There's no way I can outrun them. I can't fight them either. They may be young but they're the Master's favorites for a reason. I have to take a chance. A mighty big chance, that Giles is researching Anya and has called in Buffy to the rescue. The only way ... into the lion's den. I have to either outsmart the Master or get locked up with the rest of the captured humans.*_

Dawn gave an irritated sigh, she allowed her shoulders to slump as she turned. Standing behind her was Xander with a confident smirk on his face while Willow peaked around his shoulder, watching Dawn like a hawk watches a mouse before swooping down on it. _*Be calm, confident, in control.*_ "It just had to be you two, didn't it?" Dawn asked with disgust. "Well, you're just going to have to control yourselves. I need to see the Master." _*Eww. I really don't want to.*_

Xander gave a laugh. "Did you hear that, Wills? A human wanting to see the Master."

Willow's bottom lip jutted out into a pout. "I'm hungry, Xander and she looks so tasty. We can share her, he'll never have to know."

Dawn gave a snide laugh, "Newborns! They never use their noses." Dawn spoke louder as she asked, "You think he won't know? He'll know and even your favored status won't save you." _*I just hope I can play this right and don't forget anymore of the little details I know about this freaky world. Spike and Dru are dust in this world, or at least believed to be - according to Anya, the Master wouldn't say one way or another. I have Spike's jacket and Spike's bite. If they truly are dead, I may just be able to get the Master's protection. It's a gamble. If they aren't dead I'll be lucky if he tosses me in to a cell. It's the only chance I have though. Store your disgust away, Dawn. After the world resets itself everything will change back. Spike would tell you to do what you have to do to survive. He might have had a soul but when it came to your safety, he was ruthless. The future is more important. Anything that happens here will only be remembered by you and maybe Anya, if she's keeping an eye out.*_ With a mental deep breath, she pushed 'Dawn' to the back of her mind.

Dawn had lived with Spike for so long that her morals were a bit more flexible than most 'White Hats'. She brought forward all the cold, calculating ruthlessness. That emotionless place that she'd built for herself after Buffy was murdered, that place that grew into something else, the one that came forward when she and Spike had no other choice but to fight those soldiers, only following orders, that were sent after them. She couldn't be nice, innocent little Dawnie in those moments. She needed that alien, comforting presence now, to survive. They may have 'blended' as the war drew on but Dawn could never be as ... as soulless, as the presence she allowed to take over now.

Willow and Xander must have felt the change in the air or maybe just the change within her, as they looked a tad nervous. Willow looked to Xander for his final say.

"Fine, we'll take her to the Master ... and if we're lucky he'll let _us_ kill her. Come on." Xander's hand shot out and grabbed her around the upper arm. Dawn's eyes narrowed, and though there would be bruises later, she didn't protest as he drug her along, Willow trailing behind.

The streets were dark and fairly empty, only a few vampires out hoping for the trill of catching their own meal. Xander led her in the direction of the Bronze. As they got closer she could hear the music blaring out and over that the screams of victims who had been caught out after dark and the slurping of the feeding vampires standing outside.

The moment Dawn was lead through the door the wave of despair, grown to almost a physical thing, that slammed into her almost had Dawn pushing to the surface of her mind, pushing the '_predator_' back, only stopping at the last second. Allowing Dawn to come forward would be death. The '_predator_' ruthlessly pushed her down further.

Terrified humans suspended in cages hung above their heads, a few humans were scattered around the room, those taken out to be 'played' with. One of the stupider vampires, _*a minion*_ her mind supplied, tried to make a grab a her only to be pushed back by a growling Xander.

Dawn was pushed through a curtain with a forceful shove from Xander, only just stopping herself from stumbling. She raised her eyes from the floor to see the Master rising from his chair. It seemed she would be forgotten for the moment or maybe the better word would be tested as the Master greeted Xander and Willow, a girl held in his hand by the mass of curly hair. He looked disgusted as he explained why he had lost his appetite, offering the girl to Willow. One thing Dawn had gathered from her brief stay with the duo was that Willow was _always _hungry.

_*I wonder how she keeps her figure, eating so much with hardly any humans to chase as a workout?*_ a disinterested voice in her mind asked as she watched Willow gorge herself at the Master and Xander's approval.

They continued to talk, keeping an interested eye on Willow. _*Oh, the Master's temper showed a bit at that.*_ she thought as the Master realized that the Slayer was going to be summoned because Xander and Willow hadn't been able to kill Cordy before she had a chance to tell Giles, _*Someone's in trouble.*_ sing-songed through her mind. _*And he didn't even give them a chance to say they were headed to kill her when they found me.*_ Dawn could feel the Master's eyes on her throughout the talk. Always watching for some kind of reaction he might exploit but the Predator felt nothing but the vague feeling of the Dawn buried deep. She gave no reaction but a vague disinterest, as she felt nothing else.

Once he had delivered his threat to the duo and they left to carry out their mission; he turned his attention to her.

_*This is it. It has to be done correctly.*_ Dawn stepped forward and dropped to her knees in front of the throne the Master was once again seated upon, bowing her head low. "My Master is dust and I ask for the protection of his line, the Head of the Clan Aurelius." Dawn's voice came out clear and sure.

The Dawn inside may have flinched but the Predator in charge now didn't as a clawed hand made it's way around her throat, the sharp thumbnail cutting into her the soft flesh of her chin, blood welling and trickling down both his hand and her neck to soak into the shirt she wore, as it pushed her head up and to side, baring her throat.

-----

The Master lent in, drawing a breath, nose snuffling along Dawn's neck. His breath came out as a sigh, a name, "William."

While the Master had hated Darla's choice of Angelus, who was much too impetuous for his own good ... the Master had been proven correct on that as shown by the curse of a soul. The Master hadn't liked the choices Angelus made with his Childer either or the work he hadn't seemed to want to do with their training. He'd turned each one out when they'd come sniffing around for a place by his side, just as Angelus had done those long years ago and look where it had gotten him now, nothing more than a puppy for the newborns to play with.

Angelus' last choice though, William, with a bit of training and seclusion from the crazy Drusilla - another one of Angelus' fumbles, would have made the perfect addition to his court. Angelus had ruined that one, the Master thought with a sigh. You never try to break a vampire like that, those were the ones who lasted through millennia, much like himself.

He'd been fond of young William, Spike as he last heard him and he'd felt it when he'd dusted, as he'd felt Drusilla only moments before that. He'd later learned William had fought through a mob to get to her, only to watch as she'd dusted. A disappointment that one had turned out to be.

The one thing he hadn't heard, or even felt, was the addition, the girl in front of him. Her being human could have explained that though. He felt her now, now that he'd drawn the scent of her in; she was family. The scent also infused into the long jacket she wore.

The Master lent back in his throne to look at her. She was a pretty thing, young and innocent as first glance but the eyes, oh the eyes told a different story. They were big and blue; they seemed to fill her face but they held nothing. He almost felt a chill flitter down his spine. It was different even than vampires. They were soulless but they felt - malice, excitement, bloodlust, and those odd few who kept some of their humanity; they even felt the demon equivalent of love. She felt nothing. She was puzzle. And he liked puzzles. The Master smiled as he grabbed her from the floor, spun her back to his chest, fangs sliding through the vulnerable skin of her neck. A hitch of breath was all the girl gave as took a sip of the blood welling up and he withdrew them. _*Must keep the human safe if I'm to unravel the puzzle. She'd be perfect ... for now.*_

The Master turned toward the curtain and called on of the minions of the other side to take her to a room, _*brainless idiots would put her in a cage even with my mark. It was so hard to get good minions these days*_, and allow her to freshen up; to find her something pretty to wear as she was to be his guest at the factory opening.

The Master was left to his thoughts as Dawn followed the minion sedately to a room.

-----

Getting the blood off of herself, with a quick shower, felt nice but overall Dawn still felt pretty dirty. This world gave her the wiggins. The dress she'd be forced to wear was also something wig-worthy. It looked like something Drusilla would have felt perfectly at home in, to be honest she thought she might have actually seen it on Dru once before.

_*It might have even been pretty if my mind didn't conjure up the yuckiest pictures to go along with it; like the one where Dru skips merrily down the street ripping the hearts out of everyone she meets all while wearing the dress.*_

Dawn shook the thoughts from her mind and examined the dress as she slipped it on; it had a corset style top with red and black strategically placed to give an almost flowered design. Attached to the top was a gauzy diaphanous skirt. While full length the material gave the dress an overall flowy look, which would make it easier to move while wearing. Not really her style but it would have been perfect for Dru. For now, she'd do as Spike had taught her and make do with what she had.

A quick spell on her drying hair added some light curls, which were summarily pinned up and left to tumble, creating the illusion of a crown at first glance. A search of the room found a vanity that held makeup. Also not her style, too dark and vamp-y but it'd go perfectly with the dress. The smoky shadow gave her what Buffy would have termed 'raccoon eyes', a swipe of blush, and the dab of red gloss added to her lips made them look wet with blood. A look in the vanity mirror and she decided she was ready. A deep breath brought the Predator fully to the surface again.

When Dawn opened the door she was met by a minion so young he couldn't seem to control his game-face around a human yet but as he didn't attack she was forced to accept that the Master's mark was good for something.

She followed him through the winding hall back to the curtained throne room.

-----

Dawn watched from her place at the Master's side as he got himself a drink from the espresso machine and Willow and Xander returned. She watched dispassionately as they stopped in the doorway in shock at seeing her still living and breathing or maybe just at seeing her sit so regally beside the Master in a dress fit for a Princess, before continuing into the room.

She listened and felt a pang inside when they confirmed Cordy's death but pushed it down. Their survival was foremost and the girl would live again besides.

Dawn felt no need to sit through the day before they headed for the factory with the Master, so she readied herself to return to her room when she heard Willow ask if she could play with puppy and the Master's affirmative.

"Take our guest with you. I'm sure she's eager to see her Master's sire."

_*This could be the chance I've been waiting for.*_ Dawn turned to him as she asked, "May I tell him?" When she saw him hesitate she added, "It is his right."

A snarl was as the Master turned to her, "Do no quote the laws to me!"

Bowing her head with just the right amount of subservience, "Forgive me."

He made a show of thinking it over, though they both knew he couldn't go back on the laws now that they had been acknowledged. "You may tell him." A wave of his hand dismissed them. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Xander and Willow looking in awe and a hint of jealously. She was sure the Master never forgave anyone questioning him - maybe even going so far as to not teach them the laws so they had no way in which _to _question him. If Dawn hadn't made herself such a sweet puzzle she would have been long dead. Just another body that had been tossed aside.

Dawn hurried after the duo. She'd need to be careful around them from now on, jealousy in a vampire was never good for the one they were jealous of; it usually ended in the death of one of them.

-----

Dawn followed the vampire duo to a stone room with a small cell, the bars cutting the room in half. On the far wall she saw an assortment of 'toys'. Some she recognized and others she didn't. Another look at the cage revealed a figure huddled in the shadows, back to the room.

Angel, or at least this world's Angel, he looked pitiful ... like a puppy that had been beaten so many times it started to expect it. Puppy was a fitting name for this vampire. Dawn wondered if there was any fire left in him? There was also an idle thought to what she would do if there wasn't anything left within him - if he truly had been broken so thoroughly.

A glance a Willow showed the vampire was all set to start the 'fun' but Dawn figured she should put a stop to that quickly. She had no wish to try to talk to someone who was in horrible pain ... you could never be sure if they were listening or even if they understood.

Dawn stepped to the bars, the shape gave a small shudder but otherwise gave no indication that he knew anyone was in the room. "Leave us." Dawn gave a wave of her hand, her gaze never straying from the figure so she caught the slight stiffening of this shoulders. He'd finally realized there was someone new.

A growl of discontent was heard from behind her, "I want to play with Puppy." Dawn, so used to reading Willow could hear the pout in her voice.

"You may play with him when I have finished." Dawn spun around to face her, chin tilting stubbornly up and her eyes narrowing. "Would _you_ like to go to the Master and tell him that you won't let me do what _he_ gave me permission to?" Dawn switched her voice, lowering the volume, to carry a measuring tone, adding a hint of malice as she glanced back at the cage. "Besides, the news I bring will devastate him."

Xander finally managed to coax Willow from the room at that, handing over the key as they left. She knew they wouldn't go far. Just far enough to give her the illusion of privacy, especially to human senses. It would have been different had she been a vampire herself but Dawn, as she was now, would never be able to say for certain that they'd been eavesdropping.

A turn of the key in the cell's lock gave a click as the door swung open. Dawn kept her footsteps light as she walked the small distance to the curled up form, using her foot to turn him to his back. Dawn crouched beside him, giving him a good look over.

It was a pitiful sight, to see the mighty Angelus shake, terrified of her. Dawn was sure he could hear her heartbeat, as weak as he looked his senses were probably in overdrive. Yet still, there was fear of her. They'd really done a number on him but Anya had said he'd helped so there must be some fire in him ... somewhere. Some spark she could ignite.

"Hello, Angelus." Dawn kept her voice soft with all the right inflections to let those listening outside think she was enjoying this.

Once she was sure she had his attention, she raised her finger to her lips in the universal sign for him to be quiet. Dawn reached out for his mind with her own, encircling it as she pushed her thoughts down the connection.** #She's coming.#**

She watched as he gave a startled jerk but otherwise was silent as he sent her a questioning look, eyes wide. **#She's coming, the Slayer is coming.#** Just that and already a small spark of hope was building in his eyes.

Dawn picked up the vocal conversation seamlessly. "The Master thought I should deliver the news personally. I bring news of your youngest." **#Help me.#**, she whispered softly into his mind, allowing 'Dawn' to peak through her eyes for the barest of moments. "I, the pet of William the Bloody, bring news of his demise along with Drusilla the Mad." Dawn watched, cutting the connection between them, as horror crept into his eyes, pleading following soon after.

She gave a nod of confirmation as she stood, turning her back on him as she walked out of the room. A howl of grief following in her wake.

Outside the door Dawn caught a glimpse of Willow and Xander at the end of the corridor. She gave them a regal nod to show she was finished and turned toward her guard at the opposite end. It was time for her to rest until tonight and the big showdown. She'd need all her strength so she could avoid being caught in the crossfire. In the chaos to come she could easily be mistaken for an enemy of either side.

-  
(AN: NOT SURE HOW TO START THIS BUT I'LL ADD SOMETHING MORE INTRO WORTHY BEFORE USING IT. For right now, everything is exactly the same - Master makes his speech, Cordette is sucked dry by machine, and Buffy and Angel arrive. Fight ensues - Voila!)

_*Oh great*_, Dawn thought as she looked around. She would have to deal with the wonder twins before she could find a defensible position and wait for Giles to break the wish. Xander had grabbed her from behind but an elbow to the face got a growl and enough slack in his grip for her to break free. She was in her element. A right hook, a jab to the gut, and a knee to the face. A shove sent him off the platform and in the direction of Angel. He wasn't her problem anymore.

A quick back-fist before Willow could regain her bearings after seeing what a 'weak' human had done to her mate, spun her and a kick to the rear sent her into the arms of the prisoner White Hats. They'd been almost too easy to beat. _*I guess that's what you get when there's no Slayer and the prey doesn't fight back.*_

She only has a moment to breath, a moment to look out over the fight below. Willow being dragged off by Oz and Larry, Angel's dust settling on the floor to be joined a moment later by Xander's.

Dawn has to twist to break the grasp suddenly on her arm. A fist to the throat crushes his larynx; he was young and it takes him a minute to realize he doesn't need to breathe anymore and that's all the time Dawn needs. A flying leap and a duck and tumble sees her safely from the platform.

Dawn turns at the sound of a crack, the world seeming to slow around her. "Buffy." She watches a very different Buffy's, yet still Buffy, knees hit the ground first before her body follows.

Dawn can almost feel the magic in the air being disrupted. She wonders vaguely what will happen to this world ... will it continue or will it forever loop from this point? She glances at the humans fighting but even if they kill most, or even all of the vampires, the Master would just make more. If this world continues on Dawn wants it to have a chance to be better.

Dawn knows she only has one chance at this before the world rights itself and with the chaos around her she may just pull it off. She moves forward with all the stealth Spike had taught her, grabbing for the sword she'd talked the Master into letting her have. Adrenalin rushes through her as she comes upon the Master's unprotected back; she swings with all her might at his neck and is suddenly scrabbling at the arm attached to the hand wrapped around her throat, the Master's furious face all she can see. Darkening spots are already appearing in her vision and the clang of the sword hitting the ground still echoing above the sounds of fighting.

He'd moved so fast, blocking her strike with one hand and grabbing her throat with the other. She was going to die. _*Maybe I'll have something to talk about with Buffy if I make it back. We can have an 'I was killed by the Master' Club.*_ She knew she had to do something before lack of oxygen became too much. Moving one of her hands towards her leg, pulling her dress up bit by bit ... _*not fast enough ... quicker*_. She could barely see the Master's estatic face, vision so dark. Finally, finally she'd managed to reach the stake she'd strapped to her thigh. _*Note to self: Never put a stake somewhere so hard to reach.*_ Finding the right angle she shoved forward; air rushing into her lungs as she was dropped. The world faded around her. She'd never know if she'd managed to hit the heart.

She collapsed, arm falling from where it was wrapped around Cordelia's cardigan.

"What is your deal?" Dawn heard the click of Cordy's shoe on pavement as she turned away, Anya trailing behind, wishes still issuing from Cordelia's mouth.

_*Man is it good to be home*_ was Dawn's last thought as the darkness closed in on her.

-----

When Dawn wakes she's laid out on the library table. She can't see any of the Scoobs but she can hear Giles moving around somewhere to her left. A groan escapes as she pushes herself into a sitting position.

"Dawn?" A glance over her shoulder shows Giles carrying an armful of books out of his office which he sets on the counter before he hurries to her side. "Dawn, are you alright? What happened? The girls and Xander said you collapsed after shouting at Cordelia."

_*sigh ... How do you explain something like this?*_ "In a way. What do you know of Vengeance Demons?" Her voice was husky when she finally spoke. Dawn trailed her fingers around her throat. She wondered if it would bruise. Had her body truly been in that other world or had a body been constructed for her by the magics of the wish? After all, weren't Xander and Willow perfectly human in this world and vampires in the other? Yet, they were still human now that the wish had been broken. Had the world been altered or had Anya truly managed to latch onto some alternate world? Dawn gave a harsh shake of her head. Now was not the time for such thoughts.

"Not much, actually. T-They're wish granters. Taken from the name, wish granters for vengeance."

Dawn nods her head. _*At least he knows something.*_ "Right. No one's sure how much power they have because they rely so much upon the wish and the person wishing ... most of the time, has no idea they're wish will ever be granted. They tend to say the first thing that comes to mind, which while gruesome sometimes, is mostly pretty simple." A glance up at him shows he's understanding.

"Cordelia made a wish, didn't she?" Dawn can almost catch a glimpse of Ripper peaking out before he's pushed down.

"Yes, but as I said ... most people wish for something simple. Cordelia has had a lot of time to stew and she's pretty vicious when she's _not _hurting. If she had wished about someone else, almost _anyone_ else, it wouldn't have affect much at all."

"Who ... what did ... what was the wish?" _*Oh look. I made Giles stutter and clean his glasses.*_ A smile curled her lips before she sobered.

"She wished Buffy had never come to Sunnydale." Dawn can almost see the thoughts fly by in his head, all the things Buffy had done since she'd arrived, all the things she'd stopped. Right back to the beginning.

"The Master."

"Practically ruled the town."

"How is that ... future knowledge again?"

"Partly but something weird happened Giles ... weirder than what we normally deal with. When I grabbed Cordy, she was just finishing making her wish. Somehow I ... hopped the wish. I was dragged along but not just dragged along. I don't know if Anya knew I was along for the ride but I got dropped in later than Cordelia and also in the middle of downtown ... the vampire district."

"You, you have no idea how you could have ... hopped; do we have to use hopped?"

It was the odd look and the way he said hopped that made her do it. She met his eyes and before she could stop herself she was laughing; a giggle at first before full blown laughter took it's place and he was laughing with her. Her laugh was cut off when a yawn broke through.

"Can we talk about this tomorrow Giles? I'm dead on my feet. I was there for about a day and it wasn't exactly restful."

"Are you hurt?" It was nice to see concern in someone's eyes. Since she'd arrived the Scoobs had looked at her like she wasn't wanted, something beneath their notice unless she had something useful and before this time there was only Spike; poor Willow, dead and buried with the others in the ruins of the Council. Even if her body still moved, she'd been dead inside and couldn't worry about anyone, although she'd played at it and gotten fairly good at the end.

"No. Not much more than a few bruises ... nothing sleep can't cure." Dawn slipped down from the table and headed towards the stacks. Just before she slipped out of sight she paused. "Thanks Giles." She was gone before he could reply.

FIN

* * *

The bite. What is there to say about the bite. I haven't figured out yet how I'm going to have Angel find out and keep it quite yet but he will to both. It's a mark ... not anything sexual like a mating mark or anything but more a mark of family. When the demons first started coming out to the public Spike marked her to keep her safe. Not many demons would try to harm a Master vampire's family. With Spike dead (hopefully for Dawn) in the Wish-verse she's allowed to ask the Head of the Family for protection. He doesn't have to give it, as she's not really a vampire - still perfectly human, only hear her out but it is common courtesy to protect her or let her leave unharmed if the Head decides not to offer her protect ... but this is the Master so even I didn't know what would happen until I had to write it. He's like the little devil on my shoulder as I wrote this. My muse trying to temper his evilness by being the angel.


End file.
